SC State employees who smoke will be paying more.

[raccoon]

As of January 1, 2010, a surcharge will be added to the health insurance premiums of tobacco users covered by the (State of South Carolina) Employee Insurance Program (EIP). If the employee — or anyone covered under their health plan — smokes or uses tobacco, they will pay the surcharge of $25 per month. They have to certify that no one covered under their health insurance uses tobacco and no one has used tobacco within the past six months.

Of course, this only applies to those SC employees lucky enough to have insurance.

[TheCowsCameHome]

1. All the more reason to quit smoking.

[raccoon]

3. I'm a non-smoker for 25 years myself, but I posted this as it is becoming more

and more common.


And as a matter of fact, I don't have group medical with my employer anyway.

But the turkeys will think up more and more ways to refuse coverage, jack up the premiums, etc. (Yeah, I can hear yall thinking, No shit, Sherlock.)

Lots of South Carolinians still smoke. Maybe because our cigarette tax is about the lowest in the country.

[Bandit]

2. Slowly but surely the slumbering Giant is awakening

Tobacco is poison. Why do we as an intelligent nation continue on this path? When I was a child well over fifty percent of the nation smoked. We have come a long ways but not nearly far enough.

[RB TexLa]

And what is saturated fat? Why do we allow people to eat like that?

[Bandit]

11. Are you somehow trying to justify tobacco usage by saying there are other problems also?

I guess maybe I overstated the Intelligent Nation part..

[RB TexLa]

12. I'm just saying how could you allow such diet when we know what it can cause

how can we allow those people to do that?

[GreenArrow]

13. you're right

but you've got to be careful about saying it, because there are actually assholes who would be happy to legislate it. The druggies are already on the run, but Smokers can join them -- they're an easy target -- then the fat and meat eaters, then maybe it's time to branch out into risky behaviours, say for example, people who have unprotected sex. After all, someone has to pay for those kids, or to treat unwanted stds.

[LostinVA]

4. All SC state employees probably ahve insurance, and it's very good insurance, too

I;ve worked for the State of both NC and VA, and I wish to hell I had that insurance -- and the llooooow premiums now.

[raccoon]

7. All SC state employees probably ahve insurance? In SC, they sure as hell don't.

at my agency, 50% of the employees are part-time, no benefits. A woman in HR told me that when I point blank asked her.

And other agencies have part-timers, too.

[LostinVA]

8. I meant full-time employees

[LostinVA]

5. Nothing wrong with that

I smoked two+ packs a day, quit 13 years ago, so I know quitting is tough, but they can do it if they really want to.

[proud2BlibKansan]

6. Next the fat people, then the ones who don't exercise . . .

[Sinistrous]

9. then those who eat carbohydrates to excess....

(after all, diabetes is expensive.)

But it is so much easier to blame it on the smokers because it has been "linked" to so many nasties (empirical nexus be dammed).

[SheilaT]

10. As opposed to smoking as I am,

as much as I want to think this is a good idea, it's just another example of why we need universal health care coverage for all.

I really hate it when discussions like this deteriorate into saying we should also deny coverage or charge a lot more for obese people, or those who don't eat "correctly". Yeah, none of us should smoke, none of us should be overweight let alone obese, none of us should eat fatty foods, none of us should ever drive without a seat belt, and so on and so forth. The reality is that some of us smoke, are overweight, and so on and so forth. Universal health care coverage should be a fundamental right for all of us. I don't care what you do in your personal life, or what crappy choices you make, you still deserve decent health care.